List of traffic circles in New Jersey

This is a list of traffic circles in New Jersey. The U.S. state of New Jersey at one point had a total of 101 traffic circles, 44 of which were part of state roads. However, the number has shrunk as traffic circles have been phased out by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.[1][2] In the 1920s and 1930s, New Jersey felt that traffic circles were an efficient way for moving traffic through three or more intersecting roads.[1] Built in 1925, the first traffic circle in New Jersey was the Airport Circle in Pennsauken.[3] Many of these interchanges are rotaries in design, as opposed to the more successful modern roundabout.

As suburban and rural populations grew New Jersey's traffic circles became outdated. The increased number of drivers on the roads resulted in traffic circles being more likely to hinder traffic than help it. Increased number of vehicles and faster traffic speeds made traffic circles more dangerous and accidents common.[1] Many traffic circles became notorious for having frequent accidents and being confusing, especially for non-locals.[4] The confusion frequently is the result of ignorance of the elementary traffic law which governs right of way while using traffic circles, NJSA 39:4-90, "The driver of a vehicle approaching an intersection shall yield the right of way to a vehicle which has entered the intersection. When 2 vehicles enter an intersection at the same time the driver of the vehicle on the left shall yield the right of way to the driver of the vehicle on the right.". Since a circle is comprised as a series of uncontrolled intersections, the driver to the right (entering the circle) has the right of way. Starting around the 1970s, the New Jersey Department of Transportation began phasing out traffic circles.[5] Common methods of eliminating traffic circles are building a road through the circle, adding traffic lights, and the use of grade separation.[6]

Traffic circles

Modified traffic circles are intersections where parts or all of the original circle still exist as a major part of the intersection.

Name Image Location Status Intersecting roads Notes
Airport Circle Newark Defunct
Airport Circle Pennsauken
 Modified US 30, US 130, NJ 70, NJ 38, Kaighn Ave. First traffic circle in New Jersey. Traffic lights, ramps and overpasses have been added.[3]
Airport Circle Egg Harbor Township
 Modified CR 563, CR 646, Amelia Earhart Blvd. Entrance to the Atlantic City International Airport. In 2011, the circle was revised to allow Delilah Road motorists to pass straight through the circle, plus the addition of traffic signals.[7]
Allwood Circle Clifton
 Modified Allwood Road (CR 602), Bloomfield Avenue (CR 622)
Allenwood Circle (Hurleys Corner Circle) Allenwood
 NJ 34 & Allaire Road
Asbury Park Circle Asbury Park
 NJ 35, NJ 66, CR 16
Barrington Circle Barrington Modified [3]
Bayway Circle Elizabeth
 Modified US 1/9, New Jersey Route 439
Berlin Circle Berlin Township
 Defunct NJ 73, Berlin-Cross Keys Rd., Walker Ave. [3]
Boulevard and Passaic Avenue Circle Hasbrouck Heights, Wood-Ridge
Bound Brook Circle Bound Brook
 East Main St and Bolmer Blvd.
Brielle Circle Wall Township
 Defunct NJ 34, NJ 35, NJ 70 Replaced with an at-grade intersection with jughandles.
Brookdale Circle Lincroft
 CR 520, Campus Drive
 Added in 2007; previously an at-grade intersection with a traffic light. Located at the entrance to Brookdale Community College.
Brooklawn Circle Brooklawn
Browning Road Circle Pennsauken Defunct
Brunswick Circle Trenton
 US 206, US 1 Bus., CR 645
Burnet Street Circle New Brunswick Defunct
Camp Merritt Memorial Circle Cresskill
 CR 505, Madison Ave.
Cardiff Circle Egg Harbor
 Defunct US 40, US 322, CR 563 [6]
Charlotte Circle Jersey City Defunct
Clark Circle Clark
 Modified G.S. Pkwy., CR 613, CR 632 Exit 135 of the Garden State Pkwy., traffic lights added in 2007.[8]
Collingswood Circle Collingswood
 Defunct US 30, US 130, White Horse Pike, Woodlynne Ave. Replaced by an at-grade intersection with jughandles in 2009.[9]
Collingwood Circle Wall Township
 NJ 33, NJ 34, CR 547
Cooper Landing Circle Cherry Hill
 Modified NJ 38, Cooper Landing Road, Church Road
Cranbury-Hightstown Circle Cranbury
 US 130, CR 539, CR 685
Eatontown Circle Eatontown
 Defunct NJ 35, NJ 36
Ellisburg Circle Cherry Hill
 Defunct NJ 41, NJ 70, NJ 154 [3]
Flemington Circle Flemington
 US 202, NJ 12, NJ 31 To be replaced with a modern roundabout.[10]
Four Mile Circle Southampton, Pemberton
 NJ 70, NJ 72, CR 644, CR 646
Franklin Lake Circle Franklin Lakes
Freehold Circle Freehold
 Defunct US 9, NJ 33 Bus., Manalapan Ave.
Ho-Ho-Kus Circle Ho-Ho-Kus Defunct
Lakehurst Circle Lakehurst
 NJ 37, NJ 70
Laurelton Circle Brick Township
 Defunct NJ 70, NJ 88, CR 630
Ledgewood Circle Ledgewood
 Defunct US 46, NJ 10, Circle Dr. [1]
Linden Circle Linden
 Defunct CR 607, CR 615
Little Ferry Circle Little Ferry
 Modified US 46, Bergen Tpke.
Livingston Circle Livingston Modified
Main Street Circle Flemington
 NJ 12, Main St., South Main St., Reaville Ave.
Manasquan Circle Wall Township
 NJ 35, CR 524 Spur
Marlton Circle Evesham Township
 Defunct NJ 70, NJ 73 Replaced with an interchange in 2011. [11]
Medford Circle Medford Defunct
Morlot Avenue Bridge Circle Paterson
 Defunct NJ 20, CR 651
Netcong Circle Netcong
 US 46, NJ 183
Park Avenue and Passaic Avenue Rutherford
 Modified
Pennington Circle Pennington
 NJ 31, CR 546, CR 640
Penns Neck Circle West Windsor
 Modified US 1, CR 571
Pole Tavern Circle Upper Pittsgrove
 US 40, NJ 77, CR 604, CR 635
Pudgy Circle McGuire AFB McGuire Blvd, First Street
Race Track Circle Cherry Hill
 Defunct NJ 70, CR 644 [3]
Red Lion Circle Southampton
 US 206, NJ 70
Ridgefield Circle Ridgefield Defunct
Route 12 Circle Flemington
 NJ 12, CR 523, Mine St.
Routes 1 & 130 Circle North Brunswick
 Defunct US 1, US 130, NJ 171 Replaced by at-grade intersection, now an interchange.
Somers Point Circle Somers Point
 Defunct NJ 52, CR 559, CR 585 Replaced by an intersection with traffic signals.[12][13]
Somerville Circle Bridgewater, Raritan
 Modified US 202, US 206, NJ 28 An overpass and traffic lights were added in the 1990s.[5]
Station Square Rutherford
 Modified Park Avenue, Orient Way, Union Avenue, and Erie Avenue Redesigned in 2005.
Teaneck Circle Teaneck Defunct
Tonnele Circle Jersey City
 Modified US 1/9, US 1/9 Truck, NJ 139, Tonnele Ave.
Union Avenue Circle Lakehurst
 NJ 70, Union Ave., South Union Ave., Pine St., Myrtle Ave.
Victory Circle South Amboy
 Defunct US 9, NJ 35, Chevalier Ave., Main St. Replaced with a diamond interchange in 2006.[14]
Watchung Circle Mountainside
 CR 645, CR 642
Westfield Circle Westfield
 CR 509, CR 610, NJ 28, Westfield Ave., Watterson St. Expanded to two lanes in 2005 with one way designations added to Watterson St. (Inbound), and Westfield Ave. (Outbound)
White Horse Circle White Horse
 Modified US 206, CR 524, CR 533

References

  1. ^ a b c d Peterson, Iver (1991-11-12). "Squaring Traffic Circles With Lights and Bridges". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CEEDE1E38F931A25752C1A967958260. Retrieved 2008-07-28. 
  2. ^ Capuzzo, Jill P. (2007-11-25). "A Shift, but for Some Drivers, a Vicious Circle". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/25/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/25circlesnj.html?pagewanted=1&ref=automobiles. Retrieved 2008-07-28. 
  3. ^ a b c d e f Walsh, Jim (2006-07-29). "Circles slow to roll off South Jersey roadways". Courier-Post. http://courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060729/SPECIAL17/607300332. Retrieved 2008-07-28. 
  4. ^ Africano, Lillian; Nina Africano (2006). You Know You're in New Jersey When...: 101 Quintessential Places, People, Events, Customs, Lingo, and Eats of the Garden State. Guilford, CT: Globe Pequot. p. 90. ISBN 0762739398. 
  5. ^ a b Newman, Andy (1996-01-28). "Road and Rail; Straightening Out the Perilous Somerville Circle". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D05EFDD1639F93BA15752C0A960958260. Retrieved 2008-07-28. 
  6. ^ a b Dwyer, Christopher. "Buchart-Horn Designs Replacement For Bygone Transportation System". Buchart Horn, Inc. & BASCO Associates. Archived from the original on 2007-08-13. http://web.archive.org/web/20070813102239/http://bh-ba.com/cardiff_traffic.html. Retrieved 2008-07-28. 
  7. ^ http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/breaking/eht-road-work-at-airport-circle-will-cause-overnight-delays/article_9a17f54e-6202-11e0-8b0d-001cc4c03286.html
  8. ^ "Clark Circle". Union County Bureau of Traffic Safety & Maintenance. 2007-10-08. Archived from the original on 2007-10-15. http://web.archive.org/web/20071015075600/http://www.ucnj.org/traffic/projects/clark/clark_circle.htm. Retrieved 2008-08-08. 
  9. ^ Rosen, Jeremy (October 12, 2009). "Marlton Circle in for more changes". The Courier-Post. http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20091012/NEWS01/910120318/1006/Marlton-Circle-in-for-more-changes. Retrieved 2009-10-28. 
  10. ^ Confusing Flemington traffic circles to go in new directions, The Star-Ledger, March 15, 2009, http://www.nj.com/news/local/index.ssf/2009/03/traffic_circles_are_as_new.html, retrieved 5/22/2009
  11. ^ "NJDOT: Traffic pattern at Marlon Circle to change Monday morning". Medford Central Record. 2010-04-30. http://www.southjerseylocalnews.com/articles/2010/04/30/medford_central_record/news/doc4bd9a38fd16f3305480629.txt. Retrieved 2011-01-09. 
  12. ^ Urgo, Jacqueline L. (2008-02-10). "Bottleneck at Shore will be a breeze". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on 2008-02-12. http://web.archive.org/web/20080212152829/http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/15489282.html. Retrieved 2008-07-28. 
  13. ^ Good, Dan (2010-10-18). "Local restaurants could lose business, as construction crews eliminate Somers Point traffic circle". Press of Atlantic City. http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/communities/northfield_linwood_somers-point/article_303894da-dabc-11df-ae06-001cc4c03286.html. Retrieved 2010-11-08. 
  14. ^ "Route 9 and 35 Victory Circle Elimination Project". New Jersey Department of Transportation. http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/commuter/roads/rt9and35/faq.shtm. Retrieved 2008-07-28. 

External links